Getting to Spain by Land or Sea

By Land

Excluding the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in Morocco, Spain shares 63 km of border with Andorra, 623 km with France, just 1.2 km with Gibraltar, and 1,215 km with Portugal. Road and/or rail border crossings between the countries are numerous and pose no problems. Moreover, as the two main neighbours (France and Portugal) are members of the Schengen Area like Spain, there are no border controls, unlike with Andorra or Gibraltar where this may be the case (though there are no issues there either).

By Road

Europe’s well-developed road and motorway network makes it easy and quick to reach Spain from France or elsewhere. Beyond the increasingly popular carpooling services, several bus companies offer numerous connections between various European cities and Spain, the best known being Eurolines (also Alsa or Linebus). You can travel from Paris to Madrid or Barcelona for as little as 50 €. That said, while the price remains very affordable, when competing with flights (including low-cost airlines) on the same route, air travel often offers a better quality-duration-price ratio. Buses are really only ideal for connecting "secondary" cities or those not directly served by flights.

By Train

By Sea

Ferries

Regardless of its coastline, Spain has ferry routes to other countries or simply to its own islands, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. Several ferry companies operate these routes (see details).

Algeria Routes:

Options include Alicante to Algiers and Oran (Algerie Ferries), plus Almeria-Oran or Ghazaouet with Trasmediterranea.

UK Routes:

There are three ferry routes from the northern Atlantic coast: Santander-Plymouth or Portsmouth, plus Bilbao-Portsmouth from the Basque Country. All are operated by Brittany Ferries.

Balearic Routes:

Direct services between the Balearic Islands and mainland Spain are plentiful, with companies like Balearia, Iscomar, and Trasmediterranea.

From/to Barcelona: Ibiza (Balearia + Iscomar + Trasmediterranea), Majorca (Balearia + Iscomar + Trasmediterranea), Minorca (Balearia + Iscomar + Trasmediterranea).

From/to Denia: Formentera (Balearia), Ibiza (Balearia + Iscomar), Majorca (Balearia).

From/to Valencia: Ibiza (Balearia + Iscomar + Trasmediterranea), Majorca (Balearia + Iscomar + Trasmediterranea), Minorca (Iscomar).

Canary Islands Routes:

Ferries run from Cadiz to Las Palmas and Arrecife with Transmediterranea. The weekly service takes between 30 and 40 hours depending on the island, costing at least 150 € per foot passenger. Naviera Armas offers Huelva-Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Las Palmas for roughly the same price, slightly cheaper.

France Routes:

Brittany Ferries provides direct routes from Roscoff to Bilbao. The Gijon-Saint Nazaire route (by LD Lines) was suspended in early 2015 but may resume soon.

Gibraltar Routes:

There is a twice-daily half-hour crossing between Algeciras and Gibraltar with Transcoma Lines.

Italy Routes:

Barcelona offers the most options: Barcelona-Civitavecchia (Grimaldi Lines), Barcelona-Genoa (Grandi Navi Veloci), and Barcelona-Livorno (Grimaldi Lines).

Morocco Routes:

There is heavy traffic between Spain and Morocco, with numerous routes operated by various companies. In season, dozens of crossings occur daily. The shortest routes are Algeciras-Ceuta (35 minutes), Tarifa-Tangier (45 minutes), and Algeciras-Tangier (2.5 hours).

Al Hoceima: Motril with Naviera Armas.

Ceuta (Spanish enclave): Algeciras with Balearia + FRS + Trasmediterranea.

Melilla (Spanish enclave): Almeria or Malaga with Trasmediterranea.

Melilla (Spanish enclave): Motril with Naviera Armas.

Nador: Almeria with Trasmediterranea.

Nador: Motril with Naviera Armas.

Tangier: Algeciras with Balearia + FRS + Inter Shipping + Trasmediterranea.

Tangier: Barcelona with Grandi Navi Veloci + Grimaldi Lines.

Tangier: Tarifa with FRS + Inter Shipping.

Cargo

Algeciras, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena/Murcia, Huelva/Seville, Tarragona, and Valencia are major commercial ports, making it easy to arrive in Spain by cargo ship, whether on the Mediterranean, northern Atlantic, or southern Atlantic coasts.

Sailboats

Cruises

The Balearic Islands, Barcelona (especially), Valencia, Malaga, and even Cadiz are classic stops for cruise ships sailing around the Iberian Peninsula. You’ll have no trouble finding cruises that call at these cities year-round.